Best Museums in Hong Kong, Ranked: What's Worth It (2026)

The best museums in Hong Kong are not the ones that charge the most. If I had one afternoon, I would spend HK$190 on M+. If I had one free hour in Tsim Sha Tsui, I would walk into the Museum of History or the Museum of Art and pay nothing. Below are the nine museums most visitors end up shortlisting, ranked by how much they give you for your time and money, with the price and the closing day for each.

The ranking at a glance

1. M+ (HK$190, closed Mondays): the one to pay for if you care about art, design or architecture.
2. Hong Kong Palace Museum (HK$70, closed Tuesdays): the best two-hour museum in the city.
3. Hong Kong Museum of History (free, closed Tuesdays): the best way to understand Hong Kong itself.
4. Hong Kong Museum of Art (free, closed Thursdays): the best free hour or two in Tsim Sha Tsui.
5. Hong Kong Maritime Museum (HK$30): the best view from any museum floor.
6. Hong Kong Space Museum (HK$10, closed Tuesdays): cheap and good with kids.
7. Hong Kong Science Museum (HK$20, closed Thursdays): the hands-on one.
8. Hong Kong Heritage Museum (free permanent galleries, closed Tuesdays): worth it if you are already in Sha Tin.
9. Madame Tussauds (from HK$249 online): only as an add-on to a Peak day.

1. M+: the one worth paying for

M+ is Hong Kong's museum of contemporary visual culture, on the West Kowloon harbourfront, in a building by Herzog & de Meuron, the studio behind Tate Modern. It covers visual art, design, architecture and moving image, and it is one of the largest museums of its kind in the world. A standard ticket is HK$190, HK$100 concession, and kids 6 and under do not need one.

It ranks first because nothing else in the city matches its scale, and because a chunk of it costs nothing. The Mediatheque, the Grand Stair, the B1 and B2 levels, Found Space and the Roof Garden are all open without a ticket. It is a slow museum, though, so whether HK$190 is worth it comes down to how long you will actually stay. Closed Mondays, and open until 10pm on Fridays, which is worth knowing if your days are full.

2. Hong Kong Palace Museum: the best two hours

Next door in West Kowloon, the Palace Museum opened in 2022 and shows over 900 objects lent by the Palace Museum in Beijing: paintings, ceramics, jade, clocks and imperial robes from the Ming and Qing dynasties. General admission to Galleries 1 to 7 is HK$70, HK$35 concession, free for kids 6 and under. Special exhibitions cost more, with the current Metropolitan Museum jewellery show starting at HK$150.

It sits below M+ only because its subject is narrower. If Chinese imperial history interests you even slightly, it is the better-value ticket of the two, and the core galleries fit a focused two-hour visit. Closed Tuesdays. Pair it with M+ and you have a full West Kowloon day.

3. Hong Kong Museum of History: the best free museum

The Museum of History's main exhibition, the Hong Kong Story, closed in October 2020 for a six-year renovation and reopened on 1 April 2026. Older reviews that say it is shut are out of date. It now has more than 2,800 exhibits arranged in four chapters, from the region's ancient past through colonial trade, the war years and the handover. Entry is free, no ticket or booking, and free audio guides are available in English.

Of the three big museums, it is the only one built around the city's own story rather than art or objects on loan. Here is what the renovated museum is like inside. Closed Tuesdays.

4. Hong Kong Museum of Art: the easy free win

The Museum of Art sits on the Tsim Sha Tsui harbourfront near the Star Ferry pier, and its general admission is free. Only the occasional special exhibition charges. It reopened in late 2019 after a four-year expansion and holds more than 19,700 sets of items, mostly Chinese painting and calligraphy, antiquities, Hong Kong art and Cantonese export art. You can see the best of it in about 90 minutes. Do not confuse it with M+: this one is older, smaller, more Chinese-art focused and free. Closed Thursdays.

5. Hong Kong Maritime Museum: the best view

The Maritime Museum is on Central Pier 8, so its upper floor looks straight out over Victoria Harbour: ferries, cruise ships at Ocean Terminal, container traffic further out. Inside, three decks cover marine technology, Hong Kong shipping and China's maritime heritage. Adult tickets are HK$30, HK$15 concession. Budget one to two hours. It opens 9:30am to 5:30pm on weekdays and 10am to 7pm at weekends, so it suits a late Saturday afternoon.

6 and 7. The Space and Science museums: best with kids

The Space Museum is the egg-shaped dome next to the Museum of Art. Its two exhibition halls cost HK$10 and are free on Wednesdays, but the Space Theatre sky shows are always a separate ticket, HK$30 or HK$40 depending on the seat. The theatre is the part most visitors remember afterwards. Closed Tuesdays.

The Science Museum in Tsim Sha Tsui East is built to be touched: the static-electricity exhibit, a mirror maze, an optical illusion room. Admission is HK$20 and the permanent exhibition is free on Wednesdays. It sits across the road from the Museum of History, so the two make an easy half day. Closed Thursdays.

8. Hong Kong Heritage Museum: if you are in Sha Tin

The Heritage Museum's permanent galleries are free, with special exhibitions usually around HK$10. Its strength is local culture, including a large Cantonese opera collection with costumes and stage props. It is the least touristed of the three big free museums, mostly because it is out in Sha Tin rather than on the harbour. I would not cross town for it on a short trip. Closed Tuesdays.

9. Madame Tussauds: an add-on, not a destination

Madame Tussauds sits inside the Peak Tower, with around 100 wax figures over three floors, 16 of them Hong Kong personalities. Tickets start at HK$249 booked online, more than M+. It is fun if you are already at the Peak and like wax museums. It is not a reason to go up the hill on its own, which is why it ranks last here.

Which ones are free?

The Museum of History, the Museum of Art and the Heritage Museum's permanent galleries are free every day they open. The Space and Science museums are free on Wednesdays. M+, the Palace Museum, the Maritime Museum and Madame Tussauds never are, although M+ lets you into its Roof Garden and public levels for nothing. The full list, including the small Tea Ware and Railway museums, is in our guide to free museums in Hong Kong.

One planning note: closing days do not line up. M+ shuts on Mondays, most of the government museums and the Palace Museum on Tuesdays, and the Museum of Art and Science Museum on Thursdays. Check the day before you build a route.

Quick answers

What are the five most popular museums in Hong Kong? The five most visitors shortlist: M+, the Hong Kong Palace Museum, the Hong Kong Museum of History, the Hong Kong Museum of Art and the Hong Kong Science Museum. The first two are in West Kowloon. The other three are in Tsim Sha Tsui.

What are the best art museums in Hong Kong? M+ for contemporary art, design and architecture, and the Hong Kong Museum of Art for Chinese painting, calligraphy and Hong Kong art. The Palace Museum is the pick for Chinese imperial art and objects.

Are there any museums in Hong Kong that are free to visit? Yes. The Museum of History, the Museum of Art and the Heritage Museum's permanent galleries are free every day. The Science and Space museums are free on Wednesdays.

Is the Hong Kong Palace Museum worth it? Yes, if Chinese history interests you at all. At HK$70 for Galleries 1 to 7, it is a fair price for a focused two-hour visit, and kids 6 and under go free.